The Ammunition

• The Round
• Components

Ballistics

• Acceleration in the Gun Tube
• Muzzle Exit
• Interior Ballistics
  Calculator
• Exterior Ballistics
  Firing Table Calculator

Perforation of Finite Targets

• Penetration Process
• Perforation Limit
• Governing Parameters
• Working Length
• Perforation Equation

Penetration in Semi-Infinite Targets

• Semi-infinite Targets
• Penetration Equation

Penetration and Perforation Calculations

• The Calculator

Applications

• Optimum Velocity
• Max. Perforation with a given Gun System

Covid-19 Case Numbers - Similarity with Penetration

• General Equation
• Case Numbers in Switzerland

Papers

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Optimum Velocity

An often asked question is: What is the optimum velocity for penetrating RHA plates?
If we assume as simplification cylindrical rods then one can derive on the basis of the perforation equation the optimum velocity:

	Tungsten and DU penetrators
	Steel penetrators

The optimum velocity is dependent on the penetrator density and the target hardness only. In case of steel penetrators the hardness of the penetrator has influence on the optimum velocity too. If you are interested in the derivation of the equations please "click here".

List of typical optimum velocities (km/s):

BHN Target Tungsten Pene DU Pene Steel Pene BHNP = 500 250 2.044 1.665 2.479 300 2.153 1.767 2.561 350 2.228 1.845 2.633

Tungsten, DU and Steel penetrators feature very different optimum velocities. The graphic above illustrate for an impact energy of 10 MJ the perforation performance for targets with different hardness (BHN 250, 300 and 350). The penetrators are supposed as cylinders with an aspect ratio of 30. Tungsten and steel have optimums beyond 2 km/s which are out of the feasibility with conventional guns. But take in account that the presented optimum velocities have purely academic character only. One has to consider the whole ammunition/gun system how it is described under "Max. Perforation with a given Gun System".